


She-Ra: Princess of Power (2002)

by Jaded_Girl_83



Category: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra: Princess Of Power (1985)
Genre: Brainwashing, Canon-Typical Violence, Expanded Universe, Multi, Past Brainwashing, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, also sometimes a bit MORE than canon-typical violence, magical coercion, narrative profanity filler
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:00:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 19,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23323576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaded_Girl_83/pseuds/Jaded_Girl_83
Summary: A retelling of the originalShe-Ra: Princess of Powerseries in the style of the Mike Young 2002He-Man and the Masters of the Universe seriesand meant to be a direct spin-off from that series.
Relationships: Adora/Sea Hawk (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), He-Man | Adam & Adora (She-Ra), He-Man | Adam/Teela
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	1. Into Etheria

**Author's Note:**

> Please note that this fic ~~flat out steals~~ borrows **HEAVILY** from [Gbagok’s (Eric Marshall) unofficial character bios/redesigns/canon welding](http://www.he-man.org/forums/boards/showthread.php?191517-Gbagok-s-Unofficial-Character-Bios). Adora's look has been patterned after [Nebeziel’s (Stjepan Sejic)](https://www.deviantart.com/nebezial) character redesign, [seen here](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/2f/8b/d0/2f8bd09d4524c48ff63decb43a550013.jpg).
> 
> Any retellings of specific episodes will have the original writers noted.
> 
> Please also note that this fic is unfinished and I am a slow writer. Please be prepared to be in for the long haul.

**(original script by Larry DiTillio)**

_The dream starts like it always does. With a crib and a baby._

_She’s never looking down into the crib. The dream always places her inside the crib, staring at a chubby, blond-haired infant. He stares back at her with big blue eyes, occasionally smiling or giggling as if sharing a private joke. But except for those few small noises, the room is quiet, lit by the moonlight pouring through the window somewhere behind her._

_Moonlight which is suddenly blocked._

_The baby’s eyes widen as a shadow covers the crib. The chubby face draws into a grimace and he begins to cry. Suddenly the crib drops away, plummeting below her as her lungs are compressed by a pair of strong, clawed hands. The room spins…_

_And she finds herself staring into a skull._

She woke up gasping, like she always did whenever she had that dream. She rubbed at her face in annoyance. She’d been having that exact dream for years now; the ending was hardly a surprise.

The moonlight pouring through her window bleached her golden hair a ghostly un-color, and she shivered briefly before settling back into bed. She forced her mind to relax, knowing that the morning would bring many tasks. Her eyes drifted closed, swallowing her room in comforting darkness.

But her thoughts, as they always did whenever she had that dream, lingered on the child in the crib…

* * *

Adam snapped awake to find Teela staring down at him, her hand pressed against her heart as if to keep it from launching out of her chest. She was breathing quickly too. “What’s wrong?” he croaked, rubbing at his eyes.

“What’s wrong with _me_? What’s wrong with _you_?” she retorted, giving him a strange look.

Adam glanced about. He was settled against the largest tree in the western garden, one of his favorite places to relax. That’s right; he’d been trying to take a quick nap. “Aw, c’mon Teela,” he groaned, rolling over to his other side. “Can’t a guy take a mid-day snooze without you throwing a fit?”

“You just cried out in you sleep!”

He glanced back, frowning. “What?”

“I was coming to wake you up when you started screaming.”

He studied her face for a moment, trying to figure out if she was playing a prank on him. But Teela was truthful to a fault, and the pranks she pulled tended to be of the “this will teach you to blow off calisthenics again” variety. “Umm… no I didn’t?”

Her dark green eyes narrowed. “Umm yes you did.”

He laughed. “Teela, if I had had a dream that terrible, don’t you think I’d remember having it?”

She shifted her weight to her other foot, her expression uneasy. “It’s happened before.”

“So you say,” he scoffed.

Her face screwed up with annoyance, and she kicked his leg. “I _do_ say! I remember dozens of times when you’ve gasped yourself awake, and you always act like nothing’s wrong.”

Adam resigned himself to the fact that he would not be finishing his nap. “Because apparently nothing _is_ wrong,” he grunted as he rose to his feet. “I’ve had plenty of nightmares before, and I remember them just fine. If I don’t remember anything, then there isn’t anything to remember.”

Teela looked like she was about to argue, but instead shook her head with a scowl. “Whatever. It’s time to make the mid-day rounds.”

Adam stretched his arms as far as they would go, trying to pop every vertebra in his back. “Sounds good.”

 _< Adam, you must come to Castle Grayskull immediately! There is not a moment to lose!>_ the Sorceress’ urgent voice sounded in his mind.

The young Eternian prince worked moisture back into his mouth. “Or at least it would have, if you’d have let me finish my nap,” he drawled, faking a yawn. “I’ll catch up with you for the evening rounds.”

Teela sent him a death glare. “Did I say it was optional?”

“Fine,” he sighed, then paused with a frown and pointed to the southern wall. “But then why is Mekaneck already touring the battlements?”

The moment her head turned away, Adam bolted in the opposite direction as fast as his legs could take him. Behind him, Teela’s voice echoed, “Where? I don’t… _Adam!_ ”

Her snarl of frustration was the last thing he heard as he sped out the garden.

* * *

Adam had never seen the Sorceress so agitated.

Two years ago he probably would have missed it. But having been around her so much since becoming He-Man, he could now spot the tremors in her wings and the tension in her voice. Not to mention an utterly uncharacteristic inability to remain still.

He followed as she led him down a corridor lined with uncountable doors. She paused in front of one of them, and the door opened to reveal a shimmering vortex. Adam’s jaw dropped. “You want me to go into _that_?”

She didn’t even blink. “You must.”

“But you don’t know where it leads?”

Her lack of answer was an answer in itself. He squeezed the bridge of his nose. “So let me get this straight- I’m supposed to go to some unknown world with unknown dangers to find an unknown person. Does that pretty much sum it up, because that’s all the information you’ve given me so far. I don’t even know what to do if I find this person, or if I’ll be abIe to get back!”

“The portal will do my bidding, now that we know which world-” Her mouth snapped shut.

Adam was tempted to jump through the dimensional portal, if only to get away from the uncommunicative enchantress. But leaving via the drawbridge was a far more sensible option, and he turned to go.

“Adam, please wait!” the Sorceress pleaded. There was a soft glow of light, and when he turned around, she held a sword in her hands. “This sword will aid you in your search.”

His jaw dropped. “It… it looks just like my sword.” Well, not quite. A beautiful jewel was set into the blade just above the hilt, but it was abundantly clear that the sword in the Sorceress’ hands was sister to the one currently sheathed on his back.

“And like yours, it is meant for one with a great destiny.” Her hand gripped his shoulder with surprising force. “Adam, what little I know I cannot impart to you at this time. But if you have ever trusted me before, trust me now! You will know, in your heart and soul… _you will know this person_. And will know what to do. But if you do not go, then the results may be catastrophic.”

Adam sighed. “So business as usual, then?” he quipped with a wry smile. He carefully took the jeweled sword and sheathed it with his own, the magic scabbard perfectly accommodating the double burden. “Here goes nothing,” he murmured, then took a bracing breath and launched himself through the portal.

A kaleidoscope of light enveloped him, and his feet touched hardpacked turf. He blinked away the afterimage, taking in his surroundings. For all the Sorceress’ talk of catastrophe, the world he’d just transported to was quite beautiful. He stood atop a gentle hill, the pastoral landscape bordered by a huge expanse of woods. A village rested near the edge of the forest, and Adam decided it was as good a place as any to get his bearings.

The village wasn’t a rich sort of place, and the people all had an air of tired resignation. There was no shortage of suspicious looks, however, so Adam made his way to the loudest, friendliest-sounding location.

The fact that the location served drinks was entirely secondary.

The tavern seemed to grind to a halt as he stepped through the door. Adam looked about nervously, then flashed the entire room his biggest smile. “Hi!”

A wave of amusement- contemptuous or otherwise- rippled through the crowd, and most of the patrons returned to their drinks. Adam made his way to the barkeep, making sure to be extra charming. “I’ll take a mug of the house… whatever.”

The big man snorted. “Not from around here, are you?”

“Let’s just say I found myself in this part of the world and decided to see the sights.”

The barkeep raised an eyebrow, but silently poured Adam a glass of thin, dark brown liquid. He clapped a hand over the top of the glass as Adam reached for it. “That’ll be two coppers.”

“Oh, right.” Adam dug around his money pouch and placed three copper pieces on the counter. “I’m afraid these aren’t from around here either. But it’s real copper.”

The barkeep swept the coppers into one broad hand, his eyes narrowing. He disappeared into a small room behind the bar. Adam shrugged and sipped the liquor, savoring its nutty sweetness. To his surprise, the barkeep returned almost immediately, placing a half-loaf of warm bread in front of Adam. “Your kingdom’s coppers are larger than ours,” he offered as explanation. “And I am no thief.”

Adam tossed off a brief salute as he bit appreciatively into the loaf. “You are, however, a fantastic baker!”

The barkeep gave Adam that same look of fond exasperation that his "brainless prince" shtick usually inspired in the citizens of Eternia. “How old are you, boy? Seventeen? Eighteen?”

“Just turned the big one-eight, as a matter of fact.”

The kind eyes grew concerned. “Rather young to be wandering about on your own.”

“Actually, I’ve always kind of liked wandering about on my own.” Adam cocked his head. “Or is there another reason why you think I should stay home?”

The barkeep stared at him. “I don’t know what it’s like in your home village, but the Horde Commanders in these parts aren’t above forcibly drafting able-bodied young men into the mines!"

Adam frowned. “The Horde?”

The grizzle-bearded jaw slackened, and Adam hastily backtracked. Whatever he didn’t know was _big_. “Drafting poor little guys like me?” he added as smoothly as he could, shaking his head dramatically. “Now that’s just rude.”

The other man’s suspicion faded, but a stern look took its place. “Watch your tongue, boy,” he snapped under his breath. “The Horde doesn’t take kindly to critics.”

Adam did his best to look contrite. “I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful, I promise.”

He meekly returned to his bread and drink, avoiding the barkeep’s gaze. The big man turned away with a sigh, and left to attend other patrons. As Adam slowly chewed his food, replaying the conversation in his head to glean every bit of information, he felt someone’s eyes boring into him. He glanced around as casually as he could, and saw a hooded man sitting at a table nearby, a strange-looking mammalian bird perched on his shoulder. Dark eyes glittered from beneath his cowl, but he didn’t seem inclined to approach. After a moment, Adam turned back to his meal and to his thoughts. He still wasn’t sure what this “Horde” was…

…but he was pretty sure it had something to do with the trio of mean-looking armored guys that had just marched in.

All conversation stopped as the armored men approached the barkeep. “You taxes are due, Zosh,” a mechanized voice thundered.

The big man trembled. “It’s in the back room. I’ll go get it now.”

The guards scanned the tavern and focused on the skinny minstrel. One guard stomped over to him. “Stop that noise!” the robotic voice fumed, ripping the lute from the man’s hands. “Have you no respect for the Horde?”

The carved wood splintered into pieces, and the minstrel let out an anguished cry that cut straight through Adam’s heart. He was on his feet before he even realized he was moving, and standing in front of the soldiers before he could wonder if this was a good idea. “Hey! What’d you do that for?”

The three stared at him in shock. Adam ignored them, instead stooping down to pick up the fragments of what had once been a lovely instrument. “I don’t suppose there’s any way of mending it?” he asked the minstrel, making sure to keep his voice gentle.

The bard did not answer. He was too busy looking from Adam to the soldiers, shaking from head to toe. “You know, you’re really good!” Adam continued blithely. “I tried playing the lute once. _I_ thought it was fun, but everyone else felt like they were being punished.”

A heavy gauntlet grasped Adam’s shoulder and hauled him to his feel. Adam felt servos and gears and realized that the soldiers were robots. “How dare you disrespect Horde Troopers?” the soldier demanded.

Adam shrugged. “Hey, if you’re not a music lover, that’s fine. But there’s no reason to be rude about it.”

The robot growled and lifted a fist. Adam grabbed the arm still gripping his shoulder and flipped the trooper onto its back. Adam danced out of reach…

…and realized with a rush of euphoria that he wasn’t on Eternia anymore. There was no one watching. No one who might ask awkward questions.

No reason for Prince Adam to hide his skills.

He gave a mad little laugh and swung into action. As the second trooper lunged for him, Adam dove between its legs. He tucked into a somersault that put him back on his feet, grabbed a large metal platter off the nearest table and swung it around into with the trooper’s neck, aiming for a gap in the armor. Sparks erupted as it dug four inches deep, and the trooper’s movements became jerky and erratic. The first trooper was trying to get back onto its feet, so Adam upended a table onto its broad torso, then jumped on the makeshift platform for good measure. He bounced off and dodged out of the third trooper’s reach, launching a pair of creamy desserts into its visual sensors. Adam saw the first trooper prepare to push the table off its chest-

With a sharp rush of air, an arrow plunged into the table. The bulky arrowhead beeped once, and exploded into a large net weighted with tiny hooks which buried into the floor, immobilizing the trooper. Adam spun around to see who had fired, and was not at all surprised to see his cloaked observer clutching a bow. The strange animal on his shoulder bounced in agitation. “Well _that’s_ done it!” it fussed. “I _knew_ coming into town would end in nothing but trouble! Did I not predict trouble?”

Adam felt his jaw sag. It _had_ been the animal talking, right? There was no beast on Eternia that could speak.

The hooded man beckoned impatiently to Adam. “Let’s get out of here!”

Adam didn’t wait for a second invitation. He tossed his whole money pouch to the barkeep, just now emerging from the back room with a stunned expression on his face. “Sorry about the mess!” Adam cried as he bolted for the door.

“Traitors!” bellowed the third robot, stumbling about half-blind trying to find them. “You’ll pay for this!”

The hooded man came to a sudden halt. He spun around, jerking the hood from his head to reveal a young, handsome face. His ruddy hair glinted in the sunlight pouring through one of the windows, his dark eyes filled with rage. “I am no traitor!” he barked. “I am a knight, a citizen of Brightmoon, and _you_ are the invaders of my home! You may think you’ve won, but the battle is about to begin again, and the Great Rebellion with wipe you off the face of Etheria!”

“Bow!” the small animal fretted, sending himself airborne by flapping its giant ears… or were they wings? “We must leave now!”

The cloaked man- Bow- met Adam’s gaze. “Better come with me if you want to live!” he said as he sprinted out the tavern.

Adam swiftly caught up. “I’m rather fond of living,” he grinned. He followed the archer out of the village, their path taking them directly towards the large forest he’d noticed earlier. Something about the woods set Adam’s skin prickling, but Bow and the small flying creature fearlessly made their way closer. “Won’t those troopers follow us?” Adam panted as he struggled to keep up with the other’s long stride.

“They won’t enter the Whispering Woods,” Bow replied, his voice grim. “They don’t dare.”

Adam’s mouth dried up. “Well, _that_ fills me with confidence,” he muttered.

The winged creature swooped alongside Adam. “The trees of the Whispering Woods are the oldest on Etheria,” it intoned pompously. “They have seen the first stars, and still remember how to move.”

“How to _move_?” Adam blurted.

The creature nodded with great solemnity. “It is the last of the enchanted forests, blessed by the First Ones to be a bastion against evil.” He looked down his beak at Adam, unimpressed. “Only the good and noble can be assured of safe passage through the Whispering Woods. Those with wicked hearts find themselves so lost that they eventually exit the forest at the exact place they enter it. The unlucky ones might find themselves lost forever.”

Bow halted at the treeline. “And now you’ve been warned,” he said, turning to Adam. “Do you dare enter?”

Adam grinned. “Shouldn’t be a problem.”

One reddish-gold eyebrow raised. “You’re a strange one.” As Adam began to laugh, he frowned in confusion. “You’re not offended?”

“Oh, I’ve been called worse. Mostly by my best friend.”

The archer scowled at his animal companion. “I know the feeling.”

The flying creature harrumphed. “I’ll stop when _you_ stop deserving it!”

Bow’s scowl deepened. “Come on.”

They entered the woods. Adam’s gaze wandered about, more out of curiosity than fear. The flying creature had been right; the forest felt old, incredibly old, and seemed to shift around whenever Adam wasn’t looking. There was another strange feeling too, like an overwhelming presence peering into his soul. The sensation was unnerving, but not hostile. In fact, after a moment, the intrusive scrutiny dropped away and was replaced by… well, Adam couldn’t really describe it, but sort of an impression of being safe and protected. Not only protected but _welcomed_ \- surely Adam wasn’t imagining the path before them becoming easier, or the sunlight beginning to pierce through layers of leaves?

The flying creature frowned as he scrutinized the forest, then peered at Adam no less intently than the forest had. It had eyes like a spangled night sky, and Adam felt stripped naked before them. He felt a sudden urge to hide the swords sheathed on his back, irrationally paranoid that his secret would be discovered if he maintained eye contact much longer.

Bow looked up through a gap in the trees to see the sky painted vivid hues. “Sun’s going down. We’d better stop for the night. We’ll find the camp after daybreak.” He gestured to a small clearing. “That should do nicely. Kowl, can you gather some firewood?”

The flying creature’s pelt puffed out in indignation. “And why should I?”

The archer threw his small satchel to the ground. “Because you know which wood is okay to use! I don’t want the forest getting angry at me again!”

“No need to get testy,” Kowl muttered, and flew off into the encroaching darkness.

Adam made himself helpful by removing debris from the clearing. By the time he was done, Bow had plucked a handful of large, pinkish bulbs from a nearby bush. “Here,” he said, tossing a couple to Adam.

Adam inspected them with interest, but was distracted by the return of Kowl bearing an armful of firewood. Within minutes, Bow and Adam managed to coax out a small but cheerful campfire. The three eagerly dug into the bulbs that Bow had gathered- surprisingly savory with the texture of a root vegetable. Yet another new discovery here on… on…

Adam cleared his throat. “This might seem like a strange question, but where exactly am I?”

The others stared at him. Kowl muttered, “I knew it.”

Bow glanced at his friend before looking back at Adam. “I assume you don’t mean Whispering Woods.”

“Uh, no. I mean… the bigger picture.”

“Well, the Woods are their own place; they don’t belong to any kingdom.” A muscle in his jaw twitched. “But they’re closest to what was once the Kingdom of Brightmoon.”

Adam chewed on his lip. “Bigger.”

Bow frowned, but Kowl was giving him that penetrating stare again. “You are on the planet Etheria, currently under the domination of the Evil Horde- a monstrous empire spread over multiple systems in the dimension of Despondos.”

Adam felt a sick twisting in his stomach. The Sorceress has sent him to another _dimension_? How was he supposed to return? What about his mother and father? What about Teela? What would they do if he- if He-Man- was unable to return?

Bow was staring from Adam to Kowl, bafflement turning to incredulity and then amazement. “You… you really _aren’t_ from around here.” He scratched his head. “I guess that makes sense. I’ve been trying to decide if taking on three troopers like that was brave or foolish.”

“Why not both?” Adam quipped, forcing a shaky grin onto his face.

Kowl fluttered across the clearing and plopped in front of Adam. His fussy features softened. “There, there,” he soothed, giving Adam’s knee an awkward pat. “I’m sure everything will work out. Where are you from, my boy? And, um… who are you, anyway?”

Adam couldn’t help but chuckle. “Oh yeah. Sorry. My name’s Adam. I’m eighteen years old, and I come from a planet called Eternia.”

“Yes, but how did you get here?” Kowl pressed.

“Some sort of portal.” At the others’ incredulous looks, Adam shrugged. “It’s true. I was sent on a mission, though the details are a bit fuzzy.” His mouth flattened. “I’m supposed to be looking for a certain someone, apparently.”

“A mission? Are you a warrior?” asked Bow.

Adam opened his mouth, closed it, then plastered a sheepish look on his face. “Nah. Some self-defense training, but that’s about it.”

Kowl was _looking_ at him again. A clock in Adam’s head began ticking down the seconds until those penetrating eyes uncovered the secret behind Adam’s own. In a desperate attempt to throw the creature off-track, Adam substituted another secret, one more awkward but less important. “I am a prince, though.”

Bow choked on his food. “You’re _what_?”

“That’s about it for me,” Adam said hastily. “Tell me about yourselves.”

Bow continued staring for a few seconds before a swift shake of his head brought him back to the present. “I suppose I wouldn’t know where you’re talking about even if you did tell me what kingdom,” he muttered. He heaved a sigh and sat up straight, his manner suddenly very formal. “I am Bow, last surviving Royal Knight of the Kingdom of Brightmoon.” Kowl shifted, but Bow’s glare made the creature think twice before interrupting. “I have sworn to guard her royal highness, Princess Glimmer, from the Evil Horde. The princess has begun the Great Rebellion, which seeks to rid Etheria of Hordak and his forces once and for all. Our camp is located here, deep in the Whispering Woods where the trees keep us safe from invasion. Our numbers are still small, but I travel the nearby villages recruiting for our cause. It’s…” His posture sagged a bit. “Well, it’s slow going, but we’ll gain momentum in time.”

Adam let out a low whistle. He raised an eyebrow at Kowl.

The small creature puffed out his pelt. “Mine is a noble and ancient race, once charged to be custodians of Etheria’s knowledge and teachers of its peoples. The Horde has hunted us almost to extinction, but when we were many, we named ourselves Koalians.”

“The rest of us usually call them Know-It-Owls,” Bow muttered.

The comment sent Kowl into a fit of apoplectic sputtering, which Bow ignored. “Hordesman caught him in a trap and was about to kill him. I killed the hunter and set Kowl free.” His mouth twisted. “It’s the only time I’ve ever regretted doing a good deed.”

Kowl harrumphed with a final puff of feathers and fur. “I’d like to have seen you survive the Wastes without my guidance,” he remarked haughtily. But he still lighted on Bow’s shoulder, and Bow flicked a piece of their root vegetable dinner into Kowl’s waiting mouth. Adam smothered a grin, suddenly missing Teela and her contentious company.

Bow stretched his arms, momentarily displacing the Koalian. “So this mission, this person you’re supposed to find- who are they?”

Adam shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Bow and Kowl raised an eyebrow at the same time. “Were you given _no_ instructions?” Kowl pressed.

“Not really,” sighed Adam.

Bow frowned. “Then how are you supposed to complete your mission?”

Adam bit his lip, trying to tell the truth without going into detail. “I was given… a tool, of sorts. I’m not sure exactly how it’s supposed to help, but it’s magical, so I assume it’ll do something when the time comes.” He tried to sound as if this sort of thing was an everyday occurrence.

“What magical tool?” Bow asked with sudden suspicion.

After a long moment of silence, Adam looked at them both. “I’m sorry, but I’d rather not say. It’s private.”

“It’s a secret,” Kowl corrected with another penetrating stare.

“Yes it is,” Adam countered, a note of finality in his voice.

“Mm.” Kowl flew off of Bow’s shoulder to nestle in the crook of a sturdy tree branch. “Well. If the Woods don’t have a problem with it, then it must be fine.”

Bow relaxed at that comment, and tossed the remains of his dinner past the edge of the clearing. “We’d best settle in,” he yawned. “It’s been a long day, and I’d like to get an early start tomorrow.”

Adam followed the other man’s example and settled down on the soft grass. He gazed up through the clearing into the sky, momentarily unsettled by the unfamiliar moons and constellations. Taking a deep breath, he shut his eyes and forced the anxiety away. The Sorceress knew what she was doing.

He just hoped he would figure it out too.

* * *

“Rebellion?”

Hordak’s dangerously quiet tone was more terrifying than any display of temper. Shadow Weaver suppressed a shiver, and noted that the assembled members of the Horde did likewise.

The Conquerer of Etheria slowly rose from his throne, the veins of his bio-tech left arm beginning to glow red. “I am Chief Enforcer of the Mighty Horde. I am outranked only by Horde Prime himself.” The grating voice suddenly exploded. “ _Rebellion will not be tolerated!_ ”

Mantenna reflexively ducked behind Catra, having suffered Hordak’s wrath more than most. Catra tossed him aside, and grimaced at the hand that had touched him. “Great Hordak,” she purred in a sycophantic voice. “Someone should teach those swine a lesson. Someone unfailingly loyal to the Horde. Someone who does not know failure.”

The glowing red eyes of the Dark Lord focused on his lieutenant. “Good idea, Catra.”

Catra preened, fully expecting the commission. But Hordak bellowed “Force Captain Adora!”

A musical chuckle sounded from the rear of the throne room. “Ouch,” Adora commented under her breath as she passed her rival. The young captain dropped to one knee before the throne. “I obey, Mighty Hordak.”

“Do you?” Catra retorted as she too approached the throne. “Force Captain Adora is known to be _soft_ with the rabble!”

There was a rustle among the Hordesmen; that particular rumor was whispered often, and not without cause. Shadow Weaver watched the scene with narrowed eyes, but the young woman tossed her golden hair. “That is because unlike _some_ , _my_ goal is not destruction and mayhem, but rather Great Hordak’s ultimate victory.”

She turned on her heel to address the throng, her voice assured and commanding. “In case any of you have forgotten, Etheria is a _supply planet_. The food and materials harvested here are sent to fuel countless other campaigns as the Mighty Horde brings order to this lawless dimension. What use is a rich world like Etheria without peasants to tend it? And while any rebellion should be crushed, even the smallest child knows that baseless cruelty only sparks resistance in those usually content to live out their lives quietly.” Her blue eyes turned to Catra in triumph. “That is why _my_ villages are productive and serene, while yours are riddled with anarchy.”

The dark haired woman snarled and brandished her claws. “Enough!” Hordak barked. “Force Captain Adora will command a company of Horde troopers to put down this so-called Rebellion.”

Catra’s hackles raised, the hair spilling from her high ponytail puffing out. She gripped Adora’s arm as the latter turned to leave. “I will cut that silver tongue out of your throat while you sleep, Little Upstart!”

With a blinding burst of speed, Adora threw off Catra’s hand, ripped the feline-shaped diadem from the other woman’s head, and brought a sharp knife against her throat. Catra’s pupils contracted in fear as Adora pressed the blade deeper. “If you haven’t been able to do that for the last four years, what makes you think you can do it now?” she gloated. Adora let the half-mask clatter to the floor, then glanced down at it in feigned shock. “Oh dear! You can’t just leave that lying about- someone will take it and start doing your job for you.” The icy eyes glinted. “Kneel, and pick it up.”

Catra’s face twisted with hatred, but she slowly lowered herself to her knees, Adora’s dagger still pressed against her neck. As she reached over to grasp the diadem, Adora’s foot swept the ornament away. The Force Captain smirked, sheathed her blade, and swaggered away.

Hordak settled back into his throne, chuckling. Shadow Weaver glided up the dais steps. “Is this wise, Mighty Hordak?” she queried, her rasping voice soft as a whisper. “Such tasks have been known to trigger Adora’s… episodes.”

He shrugged, unconcerned. “That’s what your magic is for.”

“Magic that rewrites her mind when it becomes unruly,” Shadow Weaver murmured. “Too much too often will destroy her beyond use.”

“I have spoken. The matter is finished,” Hordak growled in warning as he waved her away. “You worry too much.”

The witch retreated, knowing in her gut that she was more likely to be worrying too little. Adora’s flashes of conscience were worrisome enough, but not the greatest of Shadow Weaver’s concerns. The mistress of dark magic was plagued by nebulous visions and premonitions of a mysterious stranger whose very presence threatened to topple everything the Horde had built on Etheria. But long experience had taught Shadow Weaver that Hordak had no patience with abstract hunches. She would wait until she had more concrete information.

* * *

_The dream starts like it always does. With a crib and a baby._

_He’s never looking down into the crib. The dream always places him inside the crib, staring at a chubby, blond-haired infant. She stares back at him with big blue eyes, occasionally smiling or giggling as if sharing a private joke. But except for those few small noises, the room is quiet, lit by the moonlight pouring through the window behind her._

_Moonlight which is suddenly blocked._

_His eyes widen as a hideous vision towers over the crib- the nightmare sight of a hooded skull with glowing red eyes. He begins to cry as a pair of strong, clawed hands lifts her from the crib. The intruder spins her around, and as she too sees the nightmare face, she screeches in fear._

Adam woke up gasping, like he always did whenever he had that dream…

His thoughts crashed to a halt as he stared blankly at the forest canopy above him. Wait… he’d never had that dream before.

Except _he had_. He had that dream _all the time_. He knew every single second of it, as familiar to him as the back of his hand.

Spooked, Adam hauled himself to his feet and began pacing around the clearing. It was just dawn, and Bow was still asleep, so Adam wandered further into the trees so as not to wake the archer. His restless movements did nothing to calm his nerves, so he sat down on a convenient root, and tried not to think about how that root had not been so conveniently placed five seconds ago. He pressed his hands to his temples and tried to recall the dream.

It was so easy, too easy, and Adam was yet again convinced that he had had that dream many times before. But why… why did he never _remember_ having it?

His mind trailed back to yesterday, Teela standing over him with her hand pressed to her heart. _“I remember dozens of times when you’ve gasped yourself awake, and you always act like nothing’s wrong!”_

He shook her voice out of his head and examined the dream. That had definitely been Skeletor stealing the baby. But how had that madman managed to infiltrate the palace without…

Adam’s train of thought once more derailed. The palace? Why did he think the dream took place at the palace? He cast his mind to the nursery and found what his subconscious had already realized: the architecture, the furniture, even the color scheme was undoubtedly that of the Palace of Eternos- a room overlooking the Southern Plains, if the view from the window was to be believed. He shuddered at the thought of Skeletor sneaking in at night. The hallways and courtyards he’d played in since childhood had always seemed so safe, so untouchable. But after seeing Skeletor snatching up a child in the dead of night, Adam doubted he’d ever be able to think so again.

He gazed unseeingly at a gap in the canopy, feeling his chest tighten once more as his thoughts traveled back to the child in the crib. The suffocating feeling intensified as it suddenly occurred to him that the crib from his dream looked just like his old one, covered in dust and tucked away in an old storage room he’d found one day while exploring. A thought began to develop in Adam’s mind. A crazy thought. A horrifying thought, even. A very confusing thought. A thought that made him exquisitely aware of the extra sword sheathed on his back.

The sister sword to his own.

He carefully drew both weapons and held them out. The swords weren’t identical; even factoring out the jewel, there were differences in the hilt, crossguard, and blade dimensions. But grasped in each hand, their connectedness was even more impossible to deny. The sword the Sorceress had given him had the same feel in his hand, the same familiar _rightness_ that his Sword of Power had. They both thrummed with the same Grayskull energy, almost feeding off one another.

“By the First Ones…”

Adam leapt to his feet and whirled to face the voice. Craning his neck, he saw Kowl perched in the crook of a tree. The star-spangled eyes stared at him with reluctant awe. “Do you know what it is you carry, boy?”

Adam lowered the swords, but did not sheathe them. “Do you?” he replied, half question and half challenge.

Kowl dropped to a lower branch, then to a closer tree. When Adam made no threatening move, he landed on the mossy ground in front of the sister sword. “The jewel is Etherian. And if I were a betting creature, I would swear that it is linked to the power of the First Ones.”

Adam had already the noted the similarity between how Kowl spoke of these “First Ones” how the people of Eternia swore by the Elders. But if the First Ones were on par with the Elders, what sort of power did the jewel contain? And how had an Etherian jewel of power wound up on Eternia?

Kowl had switched his scrutiny to the Power Sword. He squinted up at Adam. “And this one is yours?”

A good question. His, He-Man’s, King Grayskull’s, or Eternia’s? Adam didn’t answer, but felt his own face harden. The Koalian’s pelt fluffed out as he shuddered and hopped back a few steps. He stared at Adam without actually looking at him. “The prophecy…” he murmured, barely audible.

“The _what_?”

Kowl looked like he regretted his words, but before he decided whether or not to continue, a twig snapped. Adam hastily sheathed both swords just before Bow stepped through the trees, rubbing his eyes. “There you both are,” he yawned. “We’re not too far from the camp. We’ll reach it within two hours. Should make it in time for breakfast.”

Adam and Kowl shared a brief look of understanding as they let their conversation drop. It was therefore a relatively quiet trek along the path winding through the forest. The path itself struck Adam as odd; it looked utterly natural, without trampled and worn down grass or felled trees to indicate that it was manmade. Adam was about to dismiss the discrepancy from his mind, but caught Kowl shooting astonished looks from Adam to the forest and back. Even Bow looked surprised as they passed the last marker with almost a full hour to spare. “That’s strange,” he muttered. “I’ve never had such an easy trip.”

Adam fixed a perfectly innocent look on his face, though he didn’t understand why he had any reason to feel responsible. He carefully avoided Kowl’s stare, which was easy enough to do. The Whispering Woods were truly incredible. As they made their way deeper into the forest, the trees became more colorful and less ominous. Light was a plaything of the Woods, and Adam saw brilliant colors adorning not just flowers, but rock formations and tree leaves as well. The whole place reeked of magic- old magic- and the thought of the forest being alive and aware was no longer preposterous.

A bright pink pod ricocheted off of Adam’s head. “Halt!” a scratchy, reedy voice called. “Who goes there?”

Bow rolled his eyes. “Who do you think, Spragg?”

“Wasn’t asking _you_ ,” the voice countered, heavy with umbrage. “I know who you are! But the yellow one is new!”

“He’s with us,” came the archer’s impatient reply. “And he passed through the Woods. That’s good enough.”

“I’m Adam,” he introduced himself, hoping to smooth over the developing argument.

There was a strange sound, like a combination of tree bark creaking and the rumble of dirt being unearthed in large quantities. Adam glanced down at his feet to see that… well, that was pretty much exactly what he was hearing. A nearby root had pulled itself up from the ground to reveal a strange being tucked beneath. He was small, barely clearing Adam’s waist, with pale purple skin and white hair. His eyes glowed a warm yellow, and he was dressed in clothes sewn from giant tree leaves. His long, gnarled toes looked like tree roots, and dug into the ground in the exact same way. A sharp nose and pronounced chin jutted up at Adam as the being scrutinized him from top to bottom.

“Adam, eh?” the newcomer- Spragg?- said as he drew up closer. He sniffed around Adam, gave a little sneeze. “Doesn’t smell of this earth,” he muttered, shooting Bow a dubious look. “You sure about him?”

“I’m sure,” Bow said, clapping Adam on the shoulder. “Took out almost three Horde troopers who were bullying a minstrel. If he doesn’t smell like he’s from around here, it’s because he isn’t. He’s from…” He glanced back at Kowl with a questioning look.

The Koalian puffed up importantly. “He’s from another world, Spagg. But the Woods let him in.”

Spragg shrugged. “If he’s good enough for the Woods, he’s good enough for me. But we’ll have to take him to Sprittina first.”

“Sprittina _and_ Glimmer,” Bow said reprovingly.

Spragg ignored the warning tone and led them deeper into the forest. Adam caught Bow’s eye and pointed to Spragg. Bow chuckled. “They’re called Twiggets. They’re a nature race, connected to the Whispering Woods. They’ve never had much to do with humans, but when we started seeking refuge here, their princess decided to break their isolation and join our cause. Honestly, we’d have never made it without them. They take care of sheltering us so that we can focus on defeating the Horde.”

“Handy,” Adam noted. “Is Sprittina their princess, then?”

“That’s right, though you wouldn’t know it except by how the other Twiggets treat her. Sprittina is fascinated by humans, particularly children, and is a curious as a kitten. I once found her sorting through a bag of dry mixed beans as if she were sorting treasure.”

“And who’s Glimmer?”

“ _Princess_ Glimmer,” Bow emphasized, scowling at Adam. “The heir to the Kingdom of Brightmoon, and the only member of the royal family to escape the Horde. She was the one who decided to take a stand and fight for a free Etheria, and thus she founded the Great Rebellion!”

Bow’s face glowed with admiration, and Adam made a mental note to never speak badly of the princess when the archer was within earshot. He had no wish to become a human-sized pincushion.

There was a gleam of light and they stepped into a giant clearing peppered with comfortable-looking huts and small campfires. Men and a few women wandered about, but there couldn’t be more than fifty people, tops. Adam shot Kowl a questioning look, and the creature shrugged. “It sounded better than ‘The Smallish Rebellion That Will Hopefully Grow Much Bigger,’” he whispered.

Adam covered his laugh with a cough. If Bow was suspicious, he gave no indication. “Wait here,” he called over his shoulder as he walked towards the most impressive-looking hut.

A knobby hand tugged at his trousers, and Adam looked down to see Spragg’s elaborate gesture. Past his flailing arms was another Twigget, young and female with a delicate elfin face. “Sprittina,” Spragg intoned, as if that was all the introduction she needed.

The Twigget princess slowly circled around him. When she paused, Adam bowed. “Hi there,” he grinned. “I’m Adam. Pleased to meet you.”

Sprittina inhaled deeply, then glanced at Spragg in puzzlement. Spragg shrugged. “The Woods let him in. The know-it-owl says that he’s not of this earth.”

She considered this for a long moment, then ducked her head in a shy little nod. “Welcome to the Whispering Woods.”

“Thank _you_ ,” Adam responded, crouching down so she wouldn’t have to look up at him. “This place is so amazing; I’m grateful that you let me visit!”

Her cheeks tinged green in what Adam assumed was a blush. “It was the Woods that allowed you entrance, not I.”

“Yeah, but you made the camp, and it looks incredible. Just like home!”

She blushed harder, and tittered in her childlike voice. Spragg nodded in approval. “Nice to have a human who doesn’t act as if he owns the place. Nice folks, humans… but sometimes just plain no manners!”

Adam was spared from having to reply by Bow’s reappearance. He held open the door, and a young woman emerged. She was very beautiful, with dark skin and pale violet hair. She was dressed in purple and blue, and carried a flower-shaped staff set with a large crystal. She wore a crown-like headpiece set with another crystal, and the air around her hummed with quiet magic. Adam hastily straightened from his crouch, uncertain if he should tidy his hair or something. But the young woman stepped up to him eagerly. “I’m Princess Glimmer of Brightmoon. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to the Great Rebellion!”

Adam shook her hand, resisting the urge to look around the tiny camp to see if it had suddenly quadrupled in size. Off to the side, Kowl snorted and shook his head, throwing Adam a look of long-suffering. But Adam certainly wasn’t about to pit himself against that same fanatical idealism he’d seen in Bow, so he just smiled back. “Nice to meet you, too. I’m Adam.”

“And are you a great warrior, Adam?” she pressed.

“Uhhh,” Adam hedged, suddenly aware of Kowl’s penetrating stare. “Not really. Sorry.”

A thin line appeared between Princess Glimmer’s brows. “But Bow said you defeated three Horde troopers! Surely you couldn’t do that unless you are a great warrior!”

“Bow definitely finished the last one off,” Adam corrected, scratching at his hair. “And I don’t know if I would use the term ‘defeated,’ since we wound up escaping to the Woods. But I’m certainly glad to help, Your Highness.”

Glimmer’s mouth had screwed up as she threw a quick glare at Bow, but at Adam’s last sentence she laughed. “Please, call me Glimmer. After all, it’s not like I have a kingdom anymore.”

“You will,” Bow insisted. “I promise you, Glimmer. We’ll get Brightmoon back.”

“And my mother,” she whispered with a little hitch in her voice. She took a deep breath and shook herself. “Well, can’t do anything on an empty stomach! Come on, you two. The Twiggets have breakfast ready.”

Adam didn’t recognize anything that was served, though it was easy enough to identify the local equivalent to porridge. But it was all delicious, and he inhaled everything set before him. He really was that hungry, but it also gave him a handy way to avoid answering the questions occasionally thrown at him. Glimmer couldn’t quite understand that he came from another dimension, and Adam doubted Kowl’s pontificating lecture on the subject was of much help to her. Bow had just joined in to scold Kowl about his attitude when a burly man burst into the clearing. “Bow! Princess Glimmer!” he cried.

Bow had an arrow at the ready before Adam had time to blink. But the arrow lowered almost immediately. “What is it, Collyn?”

The man took a moment to catch his breath. “A Horde squadron is being sent to Thaymore- something about revenge for an attack on Horde soldiers!”

Adam felt a surge of self-recrimination, and looked up to see the color drain from Bow’s face. But any shame the other man felt was rapidly eclipsed by anger. “Then we’ll defend the village!” he growled, getting to his feet. “Now is the time! The Great Rebellion will make its first stand against the Horde! For Etheria!” he bellowed.

“For Etheria!” came the roared response, followed by a confused sort of milling around. It was clear that most of the “Great Rebellion” had never been in a battle, and the thought of inevitable heavy casualties spurred Adam to his feet. “We don’t know how many troopers are attacking, so I suggest we try stealth attacks first.”

“Excellent idea, Adam!” Glimmer cried, clapping her hands together.

Adam felt a bead of sweat crawl down his back; he was never so grateful for his battle strategy lessons, and resolved to thank Man-at-Arms if he ever managed to get back to Eternia. “Everyone should carry whatever long-range weapon they’re best with: bow and arrows, slings, javelins, and the like. Pack as much ammunition as you can carry. Everyone should bring one melee weapon too, for close quarters.”

“Melee weapon?” an anonymous voice queried.

“Close quarters weapons: axes, swords, pitchforks, staffs, spears, maces, daggers, clubs,” Adam rattled off, trying to keep the dismay from his face. Didn’t they know _anything_? “We’ll enter the village as quietly as possible. Try to find protected hiding spots close to places you know are friendly to the Rebellion’s cause.” He turned to Bow. “As the last surviving Royal Knight of Brightmoon, we’ll wait for your signal to attack.”

Bow’s face grew a shade paler, but his determined expression never faltered. “Right. We’ll… we’ll lull them into a false sense of security then ambush them!”

A basic tactic, but better than nothing. Adam nodded. “Perfect.”

“And what about me?” Glimmer asked, eyes shining.

Bow scowled forbiddingly, but Adam pointed to her staff. “Can that thing do magic?”

“Yes. It helps focus and intensify my powers.”

“What powers?” Adam said, trying to hold on to his patience.

“Light! I can make beams of light, to blind or to strike-”

“Perfect. You can-”

“You can stay here in the safety of the Whispering Woods!” Bow growled. “It’s too dangerous! If you were to be captured or injured-”

Glimmer drew herself up to her full height. “I have a duty to face the same dangers as my people! What sort of leader will I be if I-”

“Princess!” Adam interrupted before the argument spun out of control. “Your people are brave and dedicated, and will fight hard for your cause. But even the best battle plans can go wrong, and we might have to retreat back into the Woods. Thaymore is close, but Bow and I still had to cross a small field to reach it, and open ground is deadly in a fight. We need you to stand right at the border of the Whispering Woods, and use your powers to drive back the Horde if we have to retreat. It’s up to you to provide cover so that we can get back to safety.”

Glimmer’s satisfaction ebbed as Bow’s increased, leaving them equally happy at the situation. But they both nodded in agreement, and the next twenty minutes flew by as Adam and Bow readied everyone for battle. At some point, Adam passed Kowl, perched on a low branch. “Not a warrior, eh?” the Koalian tittered, his expression shrewd and just shy of mocking.

Adam shot him a quelling glare, but didn’t have time for anything else. The following hour and a half went by remarkably quickly as the Whispering Woods sped their travels to the edge of the forest.

But the three-hour wait for the Horde troops was pure torture.

Adam and Bow were the last to get settled, only doing so when they finished making sure the other rebels were ready… or at least as ready as they were ever going to be. They watched the road into Thaymore, and eventually saw the trooper transport emerge from the cloud of dust stirred up by its giant tread-wheels. The unloading hatch clanged open, and a full squadron began to march out, lining up in orderly groups. Adam counted at least twice their number, maybe more, armed with a short staff.

He elbowed Bow urgently. “What’s that weapon they’re carrying?” he whispered.

“It’s a stun baton,” Bow whispered back. “It can shoot different beams of energy. They use the freeze ray for ranged shots and the stun setting close up.”

Adam frowned. “They don’t use lethal force?”

“Not usually. At least, not since the initial occupation. Nowadays the Horde finds slaves more useful than corpses. There’s a rumor that they somehow use captives to power their robot troopers, but we don’t know if it’s true or not.” His jaw tightened. “No one’s ever come back from the Fright Zone to tell us.”

As horrific as that sounded, Adam nevertheless found himself relaxing, just a bit. The odds against them were still terrible, but at least fatalities should be minimal. And if the battle went south and the rebels were captured, He-Man should be able to break them out before they reached this “Fright Zone.” Adam just needed to make sure _he_ wasn’t one of the ones captured.

The transport appeared to have emptied, and the troopers formed orderly ranks along the outskirts of the village. Bow shifted uneasily. “Where’s their captain?” At Adam’s confused look, he elaborated. “The troopers are just robots. They have no real initiative or ingenuity. The attacks are usually led by a Force Captain, but I didn’t see one come off the transport.”

“Maybe they have simple orders to question the villagers.”

“But they were supposed to be _attacking_ the village!” The archer’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t like this. Something’s not right.” He looked over his shoulder and beckoned another rebel over. Adam recognized the burly man who had entered the clearing that morning. “Collyn, how did you find out about this attack?”

The other man hunkered down, trying to hide his bulk as best he could. “There was a young woman. She rode into the Thaymore in a panic. Said she was from a neighboring village and that there was a Horde transport heading our way. They stopped at her village to refuel and she found out that they were going to punish Thaymore because they sheltered rebels. She rode over to warn us as soon as she could.”

“Is the girl still here in the village?” demanded Bow.

“Oh yes,” Collyn nodded. “I saw her as we were getting into position. She was all over the place, showing us where the best hiding places were.”

There was movement at the edge of Adam’s peripheral vision. He looked over and felt his stomach clench. “What sort of horse was she riding?”

“Is that important right now?” Bow scowled.

“It might be,” Adam retorted through clenched teeth. He pointed a finger to the lone figure riding across the open field towards the Horde transport.

Two bodies surged forward to see, and almost sent Adam’s face into the barrel he was crouched behind. Collyn took a sharp breath. “That’s her! A blonde woman riding a roan stallion! But…” He recoiled, easing the weight pressed against one of Adam’s shoulders. “Where is she going?”

The young woman dismounted and entered the transport. A few moments later she emerged wearing full armor. The chestplate was emblazoned with the red bat symbol that Adam remembered from the tapestries about King Grayskull. “Well,” Adam muttered, “we seem to have located that Force Captain you were looking for, Bow.”

Bow spat out a word that Adam did not recognize but was pretty sure wasn’t used in polite company. The Force Captain made her way to the front line of the assembled troopers, and showed the entire company a large map. She pointed back and forth to different groups of troopers and different points on the map. Adam’s mouth went dry. “You said she helped everyone find a good hiding place?”

Bow swore again, feelingly, but Collyn just sounded confused. “Yes.”

“That’s a map of Thaymore!” Adam looked around urgently. “She’s trying to ambush _us_!”

“We’ve got to move people around or they’ll be rounded up before they realize anything’s wrong!” Bow snarled, and prepared to run to the nearest group of rebels.

Adam caught his arm. “You’ll never get the word out in time! And it’s too late for everyone to find new ambush spots.” He bit his bottom lip. “I have a terrible idea. Do you have some way of getting the Horde’s attention?”

“Flare arrow,” Bow responded, shifting his quiver. “But the rebels will think it’s a signal to attack.”

“I know.” Adam rubbed at his forehead. “Like I said, it’s a terrible idea. But we have to do something to alter our battle lines, or else we’re just playing into her hands. If we give the signal now, the rebels will be thrown into chaos, but that’s better than having them rounded up and picked off. And this way the Horde will be just as confused. They won’t have a plan anymore and will be reduced to reacting to our actions. And if we give the signal now, too early, the rebels will realize that something’s gone wrong before actually engaging the troopers, and we can minimize casualties.”

“You’re right. It _is_ a terrible plan,” Bow sighed, but he drew an arrow and pointed it at the sky.

There was a high-pitched whistle, then a muted explosion as the flare burst above Thaymore. Adam saw the Force Captain whirl about in surprise. “Attack!” Adam bellowed, motioning Bow and Collyn in different directions. “Attack the Horde! For Etheria!”

The nearest group of rebels burst out from hiding and started following Adam. Out the corner of his eye, he could see Bow dart across an alley similarly followed by another group of rebels. Neither of them were actually heading towards the troopers yet, and Adam turned to the men behind him. “Spread the word! For Etheria!”

Adam never thought he’d be relieved to see a replay of the confused milling about he’d witnessed in the Whispering Woods hours earlier, but it just might save them now. He hopped onto a barrel and hauled himself up atop the nearest roof.

The top half of the Force Captain’s face was hidden by her helmet’s visor, but her startled dismay showed clearly in her body language. The stupefaction rapidly shifted to anger and she motioned the troopers into the village en masse. Within minutes, Thaymore was in utter chaos as rebels and troopers ran through the village, neither quite sure if they were supposed to be attacking or running away. Adam did what he could, disarming one trooper and using its stun baton on as many robots as he could find. The rebels had a lot of heart and were doing their best, but the odds were still against them, and Adam was certain that the devious Force Captain was busily cooking up another strategy. The more time passed, the more likely the rebels were to be defeated.

So one thing was very clear; he was of no further use as Adam.

Of course, he wasn’t eager to appear cowardly either. And he’d had two years to think about how he could have gone about this whole secret identity thing better. He dodged past freeze rays until he caught up with Bow, crouched against a rocky outcrop. The archer’s face was grim, and his arrow supply low. He glanced over at Adam with a grimace. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this, Adam.”

“Yeah, about that…” They both ducked deeper behind the rocks to avoid another blast. “You know how I told you I was a prince?”

“You’re bringing this up now?” the other snapped. “I said I was sorry!”

“No, that’s not what I mean. I have this… friend. He helps out the royal family sometimes, and I think I might be able to summon him here.”

“Across dimensions?” Bow shook his head in doubt. “Even if you can, will he even be any help?”

“Trust me,” Adam grinned. “He’s plenty helpful. But I can’t risk summoning him with the enemy watching.”

“Go,” Bow said, readying another arrow. “I’ll cover you.”

Adam blinked, surprised that it had been that easy. But he wasted no more time as he made a dash for the area furthest from the fighting. One Horde trooper managed to snag his arm but released it amid a shower of sparks as an arrow erupted from his chest. Tossing off a quick salute of thanks, Adam ran for the edge of the village away from the Woods. As soon as he was out of sight of allies, enemies, and onlookers, he drew the Sword of Power from its scabbard. “By the Power of Grayskull!”

His split-second concern that he wouldn’t be able to transform so far from Eternia proved to be unfounded. The familiar rush of power swept through him with no unusual effects, and He-Man stood revealed to Etheria. He charged back towards the fray, He-Man’s powerful legs covering the distance far more quickly than Adam’s had. He took brief stock of the battle that was now a hair’s breadth from becoming a rout. He-Man grinned as he decided his next move. The element of surprise always proved useful for unnerving the enemy.

And he had to admit that he loved making a dramatic entrance. It was worth it for the looks on the faces of friend and foe alike.

He crouched down and with a mighty leap launched himself to the center of the battle lines. The shockwave from his landing left both the rebels and the Horde sprawled on the ground. The young female commander quickly scrambled to her feet, a snarl on her lips as she leveled a blaster in his direction.

He-Man favored her with a broad, unintimidated smile. She hesitated, her eyes wary. Lowering her weapon, she barked to the nearest trooper. “Get him!”

The trooper snapped up its stun baton and fired. He-Man brought his sword up to deflect the blast, his movement almost lazy and an unperturbed expression on his face. True arrogance had no place on the battlefield, but intimidation was a useful tool that often prevented unnecessary bloodshed, and he was more than happy to provide a demonstration. He dodged through a rapid succession of shots with inhuman speed and agility until he was able to lay hands on the trooper. He-Man snapped its weapon like a dry twig and lifted the struggling robot above his head with one hand.

He then smashed it into the ground, leaving a small crater lined with metal scrap.

“By the First Ones!” a hoarse voice sounded behind him. He-Man turned to see Bow staring at him with a staggered expression.

The Force Captain wasn’t in any better shape, or at least he assumed so, as her jaw was hanging below the edge of her faceplate. She turned to a large group of troopers, and ordered them to attack him simultaneously. Well, he was happy to oblige. The troopers were stronger than humans, but not by much. Nor were they fast, agile, or creative. In other words, they were simply not a challenge, even when attacking five at a time.

The Force Captain staggered backwards. She scanned the remaining troopers, barking out identification numbers. Her gaze swiveled back in He-Man’s direction. “Fire freeze rays!”

Some ten troopers, scattered around him in a loose circle, snapped up their batons. He-Man leapt in the air, and the blasts shot across the now-empty clearing to take out another half-dozen troopers caught in the crossfire. He landed nimbly and hurled his sword, the spinning weapon slicing through dozens of troopers as it arced around to finally return to his outstretched hand.

“Get him! Everyone just… _get him_!” the Force Captain shrieked, her voice sounding surprisingly young.

Every remaining trooper descended upon him, and the next few minutes were a blur as He-Man pounded, kicked, sliced, and smashed his way through the sea of metal bodies. A few of the braver rebels joined him, but by then there were barely any troopers left for them to battle. But battle they did, if only for a few moments.

And then there was one. The Force Captain was watching him, wide eyes visible through the slit of her visor. She lifted her fingers to her lips and blew out a piercing whistle. A pale, strawberry roan stallion burst into the clearing, and she mounted it in one smooth motion. The horse carried her to the farthest edge to the village and stopped there as she turned to stare again. He-Man noted with interest that she used neither bridle nor saddle, and it struck him as unusual that a ruthless Horde commander could achieve that level of trust and cooperation with her mount to be able to ride bareback.

“Who are you?” she hissed, and again, He-Man marveled at how young her voice sounded. “Where are you from?”

He lowered his sword a fraction. “I am called He-Man. As for where I’m from-”

“He a mighty warrior summoned from another dimension, you fiend!” Bow crowed in triumph. “He’s the sworn protector of a prince from a distant world, and the new bane of your existence!”

He-Man tried to hide his wince. He couldn’t quite bring himself to be angry, Bow clearly being drunk on adrenaline and aglow with his first victory. Still, it had been more than he’d intended to reveal. “Where I am from is not important,” he continued as smoothly as he could. “This is not my world, but neither is it the Horde’s. Tell your armies to go back to their other planets and leave these people alone.”

A musical, if mocking, laugh burst from the Force Captain. “I’ll admit you are impressive, warrior. But the Mighty Horde is not about to abandon this world just because you say so. However,” she crooned, her voice sweetly sarcastic, “I’ll pass on your message.” Her heel nudged the stallion’s flank, and the horse wheeled about and galloped into the empty transport. The rebels threw up a ragged cheer as it retreated from the village, and He-Man breathed a quiet sigh of relief. That could have been much, much worse.

The cheer died down as the rebels stared at him in awe. Bow approached, his expression torn between elation and intimidation. “You… you’re Adam’s protector?”

It was as good an excuse as any. “Yes.” A sudden inspiration hit. “I don’t allow Prince Adam to engage in battle once I’ve been summoned. It’s too dangerous for royalty to risk themselves needlessly. You understand, of course.”

He’d chosen Bow’s weak point well; the archer scowled and nodded vigorously. “You are absolutely correct. In fact, I wouldn’t mind you passing on that message to a certain someone.” He blinked, and looked up at He-Man uncertainly. “I suppose you’ll want to meet her?”

“If you mean Princess Glimmer, Adam told me about her. I would be honored to meet her, but I must go for now. I am not always able to be summoned for long.”

“Of course,” Bow bowed. His head snapped up again, a look of panic in his eyes. “But… you’ll be back, won’t you?”

He-Man gazed at the trail of dust moving into the distance. “I hope I won’t have to. But somehow, I doubt we’ll be that lucky.”

* * *

“I do not usually receive failure from _you_ , Force Captain Adora,” Hordak rumbled, his voice a clear warning.

“And you have not received failure yet; only a setback,” Adora countered with a scowl. She felt the gloating pressure of Catra behind her, but ignored her as she did all the other Hordesmen assembled in the throne room. “This so-called Rebellion has picked up an ally, a warrior exponentially greater than the rabble and refuse insurgents usually throw at us.”

The bright red eyes narrowed. “What sort of warrior?”

“A man, but with strength unlike anything I’ve ever seen.” She shook her head, trying to find words. “More than mere muscles. There’s a power in his very _presence_. He was tall and powerfully built, with blue eyes and golden hair, dressed like a barbarian. He wielded a sword that stank of power as much as he-”

Too fast for the eye to follow, Hordak leaped from his throne and pinned her against the throne room wall by her chestplate. “ _What?!_ ” he screeched, his eyes wild. “You lie!”

Adora gasped as she tried to recover the wind that had been knocked out of her. “Why would I lie, Mighty Hordak?!” she choked against the pressure crushing her chest. “What purpose would it serve?”

“A name!” he roared, as if he hadn’t even heard her. The chestplate crumpled and trapped Adora’s lungs in a steel vise. “What was his name?!”

“He-Man!” she screamed with the last of her oxygen, panicking in spite of herself. “He called himself He-Man!”

A flicker of sense returned to Hordak’s eyes. Or perhaps confusion. Whichever it was, he released her, and she clattered to the ground. She fumbled for the release latch to her armor, and managed to rip off her collapsed chestplate before losing consciousness. Her lungs almost exploded as they desperately took in air, deep coughs wracking her body. “Not him,” Hordak muttered to himself, heedless of his terrified audience. “It can’t be. I killed him. But… no. It’s not the same man. She said… but it sounds just like…”

Hordak trailed off, his eyes glazed over. Adora scrambled to her feet in a burst of anger. “It doesn’t matter _who_ he is!” She let the sting of her wounded pride set her mind to racing. “I just need to adjust my strategy! Any enemy can defeated if you strike their weakness.”

Hordak turned sharply towards her. “Weakness?”

“Oh, yes,” Adora smiled, cold and calm and ruthless. “The barbarian winced when the archer bragged about being summoned. The key to our victory does not lie with the barbarian, but with the prince he protects.” She turned back to her troopers. “Prepare a shock troop. We’re going back to the scene of the _first_ crime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kowl's eyes are inspired by Zeus, the blind owl. (Look him up! He's super cool!)


	2. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic ~~flat out steals~~ borrows **HEAVILY** from [Gbagok’s (Eric Marshall) unofficial character bios/canon welding](http://www.he-man.org/forums/boards/showthread.php?191517-Gbagok-s-Unofficial-Character-Bios). A few of the characters have been patterned after [Nebeziel’s (Stjepan Sejic)](https://www.deviantart.com/nebezial) character redesigns, with his specific Adora design [demonstrated here](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/2f/8b/d0/2f8bd09d4524c48ff63decb43a550013.jpg).
> 
> Any retellings of specific episodes will have the original writers noted.
> 
> Please also note that this fic is unfinished and I am a slow writer. Please be prepared to be in for the long haul.

Zosh was about to die.

He’d been expecting fallout from the incident two days ago, and more so since the Horde was routed yesterday. But when two Horde troopers burst into his storeroom and dragged him out to the front, he knew he had seen his final day.

A slim young woman sat at one of his tables. Zosh’s legs gave out from shaking, so the troopers all but dragged and dropped him into the chair opposite the famed Force Captain Adora.

Sharp blue eyes glared at the troopers before she turned back to Zosh. He tensed as she dug into a pocket, and again when she brought her hand back to the table. But she only dropped a few coppers. “Two glasses of the house special, if you please.”

Zosh blinked at her, unable to believe his ears. She raised an eyebrow and he leaped to his feet to comply. Her hand flashed out to capture his wrist in an iron grip. “An _unopened_ bottle. And bring the glasses here first.”

Zosh swallowed in a thick throat, but managed to nod before scampering to his storeroom. He hastily returned, and allowed the Force Captain to examine the glasses and the bottle before she poured two servings. She pushed one glass to Zosh, and watched him drink before partaking of her own. She frowned into her glass. “This is quite good. Lovely notes of gohlnuts and jinna blossoms.”

He stared at her in disbelief. “Why are you tormenting me like this? Why don’t you just kill me?”

“Watch your mouth, peasant!” one of the troopers barked, pulling his hand back to strike.

“Leave us!” the Force Captain snapped, eyes blazing. The robots hesitated, but her glare intensified until they trotted out the door. “Much better,” she muttered, turning back to Zosh. “As to your request, I have neither the desire nor any plans to kill you. I simply have a few questions.”

She leaned back in her chair, savoring another sip of liquor. “I understand that the recent… unpleasantness began right here in your tavern.”

The shaking that began in his knees traveled up the length of his whole body. “I never… I didn’t-” he sobbed.

“Of course you didn’t,” she interrupted smoothly. “After all, you can’t be expected to have foreknowledge of what a complete stranger might do to tarnish the reputation of your fine establishment.” She leaned over the table, her expression sincere. “I’ve looked over Thaymore’s records, Master Zosh. You’ve always paid your taxes on time. You strive to keep an orderly place of business. You have no ties to subversive elements and are known to be a voice of moderation and cooperation in the community. And then,” She shook her head, her voice turning rueful. “Then one day, all in an instant, all of your hard work is threatened.”

Zosh wrung his hands together, amazed into utter silence. Like most Etherians, he yearned for the days before the Horde’s invasion. But he was no rebel. He just wanted to keep his family safe and fed.

And beyond all hope or expectation, Force Captain Adora believed so too.

She settled back into her chair, businesslike once more. “I imagine you are as eager as I am to clear everything up and get your life back to normal. You say all this began with the stranger.” Her eyes glinted. “Tell me about him.”

Zosh swallowed until he could finally croak out words. "He… he was a boy. A young man about… well, about your age, if you’ll pardon me for being so bold.” Zosh frowned in sudden thought. The boy had actually resembled the young Force Captain quite strongly, though he dared not mention it. “He said he wasn’t from around here; just visiting. For a moment, I thought he didn’t know anything about the Horde, but I must have been mistaken. He paid for his order with foreign copper.”

The captain’s eyes narrowed. “Do you still have the coins?”

“Yes. I was going to have them smelted tomorrow.”

“How fortunate,” she said softly. “In the future, I would _strongly_ recommend that you don’t destroy evidence pertaining to Horde enemies _ _.”__

His mouth went dry again. “Y-y-yes. Of course.” He hesitated, trembling to his core. “Shall I get them for you?”

She didn’t blink as she considered him. “Trooper!” she called over her shoulder.

The lumbering robot instantly appeared in the doorway. “Yes, Captain!”

“Master Zosh, please tell the trooper where these foreign coppers are so that he can retrieve them.”

Zosh rattled off directions almost before she finished speaking. The trooper disappeared into his business office, and returned a moment later with a small lock-box. Zosh produced the key and handed it to the Force Captain.

“That will be all for the moment, trooper,” she ordered distractedly as she busied herself with opening the little casket. The lock clicked, and she swiftly located the three larger coins and placed them on the table to examine them. “Were there only three?” she asked.

“Yes, to pay for a glass of this,” he replied, gesturing to the bottle on the table. “They were more than it was worth, so I brought out a loaf of bread and-”

“I get the picture,” the Force Captain interrupted dryly. She flipped one coin over to inspect the obverse side and suddenly stiffened, staring at the image of the bearded monarch stamped into the copper. She sat still for a long time, barely breathing. Zosh began to sweat, fearing what the troopers would do to him if she passed out. “C-captain?” he stammered timidly.

She twitched, her blue eyes blinking with renewed awareness. “What?” she inquired in confusion, her voice pitched like a question rather than a response. She shook her head again, and cleared her throat self-consciously. “This boy- did he mention anything about himself? Where he was from, or if he was nobility of any sort?” She glanced at the coin again.

“No, Force Captain.”

“Was he travelling with anyone? A tall, powerfully built man, perhaps?”

“Like the man who attacked the troops yesterday?” Zosh scoffed. “No, I saw no one like that with him. In fact, I remember he said that he liked travelling alone, or something like that.”

“Hmm,” she murmured under her breath as delicate fingers stroked her chin. “That could be useful. Impetuous independence is easily manipulated.”

Zosh frowned as she continued to ponder. “I beg your pardon?”

“Never mind. It no longer concerns you.” She gathered the coins and got to her feet, her back ramrod straight and her face imperious. “You've been very cooperative, Master Zosh. This speaks well to your loyalty to the Horde. But be aware that your position will be precarious as long as the memory of this incident lasts. I strongly suggest,” she said in a tone of voice that implied an order rather than a suggestion, “that you instantly inform me if you remember anything more, or if any rebel activity comes to your notice.”

Zosh prayed that it wouldn’t, to save him and his family from having to make such a choice. But he nodded shakily, and after an endless, agonizing moment of her piercing stare boring into his eyes, she returned the nod in satisfaction. “That will be all for now. Wait!” she stopped on her way out the door. Her mouth pursed as she looked back at the table. “How much for the bottle?”

Was she serious? “Keep it!” Zosh croaked, his voice pleading for this whole nightmare to be over.

Her eyebrow quirked, but her head twisted and dipped in a slight, ironic bow. “My thanks,” she replied softly as she retrieved the bottle. She opened her mouth as if to say something else, but thought better of it and strode out of the tavern.

Zosh was still alive. He was alive and not a prisoner of the Horde. He was still recovering from that shock when another followed in its wake. Through the window, Zosh could see the young Force Captain give orders to the Horde troopers who accompanied her. As they marched away, Zosh saw his son’s pet cat leap onto the crate right next to her. She glanced down at it, a considering look on her face, and Zosh braced himself as he waited for her to kill the impudent animal. She reached down for the cat’s head…

And scratched it behind the ears.

Zosh felt like the world had turned upside down as he heard the family pet purring up a storm under the hand of a ruthless Horde commander. But she drew away after only a handful of heartbeats, and the iron returned to her expression as she marched back to the transport.

Zosh lowered himself into the nearest chair and shook until his boots almost danced off his legs. He would take his family and relocate to another village as soon as he could arrange it. Thaymore had become too dangerous.

* * *

Five days had passed since the battle of Thaymore; one whole week that Adam had spent on Etheria. He might be no closer to completing his own mission, but the Great Rebellion was still celebrating its first victory against the Horde. The rebels had finally stopped asking him about his alter-ego when it became clear that Adam refused to give any information on the subject. Instead, they entertained the eager Twiggets with endless retellings of the warrior’s mighty deeds. To his surprise, Adam himself was also the subject of storytelling, with his quick thinking and tactical prowess praised to the skies.

It was… refreshing.

Still, Adam found it hard to relax. The Horde was not likely to let the debacle go unanswered, He-Man’s warning notwithstanding. Or even perhaps because of the warning, which had been spoken in all sincerity but was sure to be taken as a challenge. Furthermore, there was still the issue of his mission and the strange new sword. Whoever he was supposed to find, they weren’t among the rebels. The sword had slept peacefully ever since Adam’s arrival. It made him antsy, eager to explore more of this strange world so he could do his job and go home.

After breakfast, Adam finally convinced Bow to let him resume his quest, though the archer refused to let him go alone. By the time they left the Whispering Woods, they had decided to start with the nearest village beyond Thaymore. Bow wanted to see if there was any information to glean about the Force Captain who had fooled them all, and Adam didn’t care much about the destination as long as he was moving forward. They had both decided that it was in everyone’s best interests to skirt Thaymore altogether. The city was still in a state of unrest, and the Rebellion wasn’t too popular due to their drawing the Horde’s attention. Still, Adam found his eyes drawn towards the village as they passed.

Bow eventually noticed. “Is something wrong?”

“No,” Adam sighed. “I was just wondering if the barkeeper is okay. I know it’s a bad idea to return; we might be identified and reported, and then we’d just get the poor man into deeper trouble. But I really wish I could see if he’s all right.”

“Maybe someone else knows,” Bow mused. “We could ask around when-”

“No,” Adam hastily objected. “That’s even riskier. If he’s still in Thaymore and in trouble, then he knows how to reach the Rebellion. If he’s…” Adam grimaced. “If he’s not there anymore, then there’s nothing we can do about it right now.”

Bow’s own expression turned grim. “You’re right. But for whatever it’s worth, I feel the same way.”

A few hours of travel brought them to a long, wide road heading west. Adam listened to Bow’s tales of the Kingdom of Brightmoon in its heyday, and Adam answered a handful of questions about his own planet, though he avoided any talk about his parents or their kingdom. Bow meant well, but despite being a year or two older than him, Adam recognized in the other the same loose-lipped recklessness that had been Adam’s own failing until the heavy mantle of Grayskull had settled on his shoulders. If things went badly, he just didn’t trust Bow to keep his mouth shut, and Adam didn’t dare risk his family or his kingdom, even if they were in another dimension.

Just an hour or so from sundown, they reached the village of Greenthatch- the nearest village west of Thaymore and the one where Collyn’s “informant” had supposedly come from. Bow and Adam meandered around as casually as they could, noting the signs of recent Horde activity. In a low whisper, Bow pointed out the deep treads of a Horde transport, and seemed optimistic about gathering intel on the wily Force Captain who had nearly destroyed the Great Rebellion with one campaign. Bow stopped them just outside a small, ramshackle hut and dropped a hastily written note through one of the cracked windowpanes. He threw Adam a wink, but didn’t offer a word of explanation.

After an hour or so of wandering the city, the sun finally set, and the weary travelers found meager lodgings at a tiny inn and bedded down for the night. As he waited for sleep to come, Adam gazed out the narrow window at the twins moons of Etheria. If he squinted, they looked like the twin moons of Eternia. It was an all-too-brief relief from homesickness, but Adam accepted it gratefully.

* * *

_…He begins to cry as a pair of strong, clawed hands lifts her from the crib. The intruder spins her around, and as she too sees the nightmare face, she screeches in fear._

Adam woke up gasping, managing to get his reaction under control before he made enough noise to wake Bow, sleeping on the cot next to his. Adam pressed trembling hands to his face, and called the dream back to mind to see if there was any new information to be gleaned.

There wasn’t, but the resolute familiarity of the dream continued to gnaw at one corner of his mind. He’d have to ask the Sorceress about it. It was so strange that he could remember the dream on Etheria, but not when he was home.

Glancing over to make sure Bow was sleeping soundly, Adam drew the sister sword once more. A feeling of anticipation lit up inside him. He could almost feel the sword thrumming with promise. His instincts told him that today would be important- whether in a good or a bad way, Adam didn’t know, but the feeling of progress was reassuring.

Bow shifted and yawned, and Adam sheathed the sword. The archer blinked around the room in confusion before groaning. “Greenthatch, right?” he said, glancing over at Adam.

“That’s what you told me,” Adam grinned back. “Unless we’re both still dreaming.”

“No,” Bow grunted, twisting back and forth to crack his back. “I would never dream about sleeping on such an uncomfortable cot. It’s sad when sleeping on the ground in the Woods is better than what an inn has to offer.” He scruffed a hand through messy hair, grimacing as his stomach growled loud enough to be heard in Eternia. “Breakfast?” he suggested.

Adam eagerly abandoned his own cot. “Thought you’d never ask.”

The inn’s breakfast provisions were no more impressive than their sleeping cots, but after a full day of tramping the countryside, neither Adam nor Bow were inclined to be picky. They finished two servings each, then went back to their room to gather their gear. After settling accounts with the innkeeper, they set out into the village again. As Bow led them into a handful of shops to purchase more travel provisions, Adam could swear that he felt the sword resonating inside his scabbard. Anticipation quickened his steps and made his mouth go dry. _Today,_ it seemed to say, _today…_

As midday neared, they reached the fountain in the center of the village and Bow motioned Adam towards one of the benches littering the makeshift courtyard. “What are we doing?” Adam asked.

Bow shot him a stern look. “Lower your voice. We’re meeting the Rebellion’s contact in Greenthatch.”

The note through the broken window pane. Adam nodded, trying to ignore the ansty feeling gnawing at his bones. The Rebellion had been very welcoming to Adam since his arrival; he could certainly wait for Bow to get some information before they continued.

They didn’t wait long. Bow tensed as a gaunt, haunted-looking man entered the courtyard from the opposite direction. His eyes met theirs and then looked away, taking a casual drink at the fountain before wandering over to the bench across from theirs. “Bow,” he grunted.

“Ress.” Bow’s greeting was much softer and gentler than Adam would have expected. He glanced over to see the archer wearing an expression that matched his tone. “How are you?”

The other man shuddered slightly. “Better than I might have been. I apparently just missed a full Horde transport.”

Bow’s shoulder’s sagged. “Oh. I mean,” he added hastily, “that’s good news. No one wants you to relive any… trauma. We were just hoping that you might have some information about that transport.”

Ress’ eyes fixed on Adam. “Who is he?” he spat. “I don’t know him. Though there is something familiar about him…”

“Well that would be your mind playing tricks on you, because I can promise you that you’ve never met him before,” Bow lightly replied. “This is Adam. He is a stranger to this world, but a staunch enemy of the Horde. He helped us rout that Horde transport when it attacked Thaymore.”

Not an entirely accurate summation of the events of last week, but Adam supposed it would serve. If nothing else, Ress regarded Adam with reduced hostility. “He still looks familiar. But if you are an enemy of the Horde, you are none to me.” He glanced over at Bow again, and sighed. “What is it you want to know?”

“There was a young Force Captain leading the attack,” Bow began with a clear attempt to stifle his eagerness. “I was hoping you might know more about her. I know you weren’t here when the transport was, but maybe you could ask around and see if any of the villagers can provide any information or insight about her. We’ll probably need it sooner rather than later.”

Ress grunted. “What was she like?”

“I never saw her myself; she was always a fair distance from me and wore a helmet that covered most of her face. But other rebels talked to her before the attack, and no one had ever seen her before. She…” Bow grimaced. “She was good. If not for Adam’s quick eye and quicker thinking, we would have suffered a disastrous defeat. We just weren’t prepared for her.” He frowned. “Brightmoon has always been under Catra’s jurisdiction; it’s mainly her troops and tactics that we’re familiar with.”

“Who’s Catra?” Adam piped up.

Bow shot him a dark look. “Pray you’ll never find out. She’s vicious, but not overly diligent. And that definitely wasn’t her at Thaymore.” Bow frowned again, and hesitantly addressed the other rebel. “Ress, who was that young Force Captain who-”

The man shuddered. “I don’t speak her name!” he spoke in a hoarse, urgent whisper. “But if it _had_ been the Butcher of Erst, then she would have razed all of Thaymore to the ground. She would not have tried to capture you; she would have slaughtered everyone and your families as well. It was not her. It couldn’t have been…” he trailed off, shuddering.

“I’m sorry,” Bow murmured, looking genuinely contrite. “I didn’t mean to upset you. We all know what you’ve been through.” He hesitated, then reached over to clasp the other man’s shoulder. “Come, let us buy you lunch. A hot meal will do you good.”

It took a moment, but Adam and Bow finally managed to convince the other man to move. As they ushered him towards a likely looking tavern, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble.

Ress’ eyes widened, his face turning deathly pale. “A transport,” he croaked.

Bow hissed a curse, and the three of them beat a hasty retreat to Ress’ dilapidated hut, located just off the center of the village. The gaunt rebel cowered in a corner as Adam and Bow crouched by one of the busted windows. Bow turned anxious eyes on his friend, then turned back to Adam, defensive. “Don’t judge him,” he muttered, barely audible to Adam crouching two hand-breadths away. “His whole family was murdered in front of his eyes. Erst is… well, it’s perhaps the best known example of Horde cruelty. Men, women, and children butchered with… with such sickening, heartless _brutality_ that a third of the planet surrendered afterwards. Ress is one of perhaps five people who managed to escape from a city of thousands. Only those few know anything about who was directly responsible, but the scores of people who visited the ruins looking for survivors could see what horrors had been wrought.”

Adam nodded, his own heart panging with sympathy. He had suspected something like that. And even if he hadn’t, Adam was not the type to carelessly accuse people of cowardice. He knew better than most that such situations were rarely as straightforward as they might look.

The rumbling sensation was soon accompanied by the dull roar of huge treads pulling an equally huge weight, and then followed by the sight of a Horde troop transport roll into the town square. Adam stifled the urge to whistle; he’d seen that monstrosity from a distance at Thaymore, but it had been hard to gauge its true size. The thing took up most of the square, barely having enough room to lower the unloading hatch.

Two women emerged from the bowels of the transport. One was tall and dark-haired, dressed in skimpy red leather and a thick, fur-trimmed black cape. She wore a feline-looking diadem on her head, and her green eyes were piercing. She scanned the town with distaste, but that distaste was absolutely dwarfed by her utter contempt for her companion. The other woman was younger, shorter, and slighter, with blonde hair and intelligent blue eyes. She wore Horde armor, and took no note of her companion’s disdain, instead scanning the town with a considering expression. Adam felt his mouth go dry. “I think that’s her,” he muttered.

Bow hissed. “She looks about the right size. And with Catra too. This day just gets better and better.”

The blonde continued her inspection of the square, and eventually her eyes passed over the dilapidated shack. The interior was too dark for her to see inside, but even as her eyes unseeingly connected with his, a powerful jolt coursed through Adam. The sheath on his back grew warmer, and Adam’s heart tried to pound its way out of his chest. His whole body felt clammy and jittery, and he fought the urge to cast an incredulous glance at the scabbard. There was no way… there was no way that _she_ could be the one who-

The blonde woman frowned, and glanced back over at the shack. Bow stopped breathing, even though they both knew that there was no way she could see them. But she continued to steal quick, confused glances at the hut until her attention was fully commanded by her companion. “Little Upstart,” Catra sneered. “How exactly do you plan to waste our time today?”

The other woman gave her a cool look. “The barbarian approached Thaymore from the general direction of this village. It’s possible that he stopped here on his way. And even if not, we will use this village as a base of operations as we search.”

“It… it can’t be…”

Adam and Bow glanced over their shoulders. Ress was on his feet, his body trembling and his face white. He staggered over, heedless of the noise he made as he thrust himself between them to stare out the window. Bow hissed at him to be quiet, but Adam doubted Ress even heard.

He was lost in the past.

The older man’s whole body convulsed. “The Butcher of Erst!” he croaked in horror, taking a step back.

Adam frowned, and looked over at the blonde. “Her?

Ress’ face was twisted with hatred. “Murderer!” he howled.

The two women in the town square turned to look at the hut. Adam and Bow ducked down, the latter trying to grab for Ress as he bolted out the door. Adam looked back to the window to see Ress charge the Horde commanders.

The two women stared at him as he approached. The blonde pivoted lazily, and her boot swung around to kick Ress as soon as he was within range. The rebel tumbled to the ground, and Catra’s spiked heel came down on his throat. But before she should drive it through his neck, the blonde pulled her away, contempt showing on her young face for the first time. “ _Answers_ would be more helpful than corpses, don’t you think?” She looked down at Ress. “What is your name, and why did you attack us?”

Ress spat at her, and tried to sweep her legs. The blonde didn’t fall, but she did stumble, much to Catra’s delight. Hissing something underneath her breath, the Force Captain blocked Ress’ wild punch and twisted his arm out of its socket. Bow and Adam winced as Ress howled, the commotion drawing everyone towards the square. With one arm out of commission, she twisted the other so that Ress was forced to his knees. “I asked you nicely,” she ground out through clenched teeth. “Your actions would be more than enough to warrant execution, you know.”

“I don’t owe you anything!” Ress screamed, tears running down his face. Tears, Adam suspected, that had little to do with the pain from his arm. “There is nothing left that you can take from me, Butcher of Erst!”

There was a terrified murmur from the crowd lining the square. Several of them backed away or bolted entirely. Catra scanned the area, speculative. But Adam was far more interested in the blonde woman’s reaction.

There was the smallest flicker in her face, brief flash of emotion that disappeared behind a blank stare before Adam could identify it. She never took her eyes off of Ress’ face and he stared back at her, full of hatred and agony. Long minutes passed, the square utterly silent except for the injured man’s harsh breathing.

Which is why the blaster bolt sounded so loud.

She had drawn too fast for anyone to see, much less try and stop her. It was a brutal, efficient shot hitting Ress point blank in the head. He was dead before he hit the ground.

She stood over the body for a few heartbeats, then her eyes locked onto the hut. “Search that building,” she commanded the nearest Horde troopers.

It was all too much for Bow. In one smooth motion, he rose, nocked an arrow, and let it fly out the window straight at the Force Captain’s heart.

There hadn’t even been a full second of warning between when Bow revealed himself and made the shot, but she took full advantage of it, throwing herself backwards out of the way. It was still a near thing, the arrow tearing through her hair as she fell. The troopers charged into the building, Adam drew his sword, and the next few minutes passed in violent chaos. 

Somewhere in all the mess, Adam found himself thrown through the window, and he rolled until he found himself at the Force Captain’s feet. As he stared up at her, he felt another powerful jolt course through him, and a thrumming from the sister sword still sheathed on his back. The Captain stared at him too, her face frozen in consternation. A blur of dark, silky fur and hard muscle plowed into him- a lithe black panther. Adam tried to bring his sword to bear but the cat pounced on his arm, ripping the weapon away in its teeth.

It leapt a dozen paces away, and transformed back into the voluptuous form of Catra. She rested the sword on her shoulder and gave the Captain a cocky smirk. “Are you going to just stand there, Little Upstart?”

The Force Captain blinked, scowling as she turned her attention back at Adam. Before either of them could move, Bow tumbled out of the hut, trailed by three Horde troopers. The Captain’s eyes gleamed. “The archer,” she breathed, a satisfied smile curving her lips. She turned back to Adam, a look of cold speculation in her eyes.

Catra tossed his sword to a nearby trooper, and transformed back into a panther. She leapt at Bow, and Adam ran to help. He drew the sister sword from his sheath-

“Oh no you don’t,” the Force Captain snarled, and Adam felt a hand grasp his wrist.

White lights exploded behind Adam’s eyes. He had the feeling of being sucked into his navel while careening around a rolling room. The only thing steady and unmoving was the Force Captain’s strong grip, and Adam could feel her pulse hammering. The dizzying sensation ceased, and Adam opened his eyes warily. The Force Captain was standing alongside him, but they were no longer in Greenthatch. It was night, and they were inside some sort of…

Adam’s jaw dropped. They were in that room, the palace nursery that looked both familiar and strange. He was standing off to the side instead of lying inside the cradle as usual, but the cradle was still there in the center of the room. And the two children were there too, softly cooing and giggling at each other.

“The dream,” he breathed, his words echoed simultaneously by the young woman crushing his wrist. Adam’s head whipped around to see the equally startled Force Captain turning to face him. A thousand questions tangled in Adam’s mind, and he could see the same questions in her eyes.

A soft scratching noise came from the window, and the Force Captain’s eyes widened with recognition and alarm. She turned to face the window, and somehow her hand tightened on his wrist even more. Adam glanced down to see that one of his own hands had instinctually moved to rest atop her white knuckles. A gesture of reassurance. He didn’t even remember moving his arm, and wasn’t sure why he cared.

But somehow… he did. He did care. Her fear cut right to the heart of him, and he knew that he’d sooner jump off a cliff than abandon her here.

Especially since he also knew what was coming through the window.

His own hand spasmed involuntarily as a familiar figure silently hauled himself inside. “Skeletor,” he croaked through a suddenly dry mouth. He knew that the skull-faced madman was a part of the dream, but he was usually just a face and a pair of arms. Seeing the whole intimidating body stalking a crib with clear and malicious intent was a whole new level of unnerving.

Skeletor gave no indication that he could see or hear the two teenaged witnesses. He loomed over the crib and lifted out the girl child as the boy child began to cry. The Force Captain’s breath caught, and she made a small noise in the back of her throat as the girl child shrieked. Shouts came from outside the door, and Skeletor withdrew a small device from his belt and pressed a button. A portal appeared for no more than three seconds, but it was plenty of time for Skeletor to dash through just as the door to the nursery burst open.

“Adora!” Adam shouted, the name suddenly ripping from his throat in anguish as the baby girl disappeared.

“Adam!” the Force Captain screamed his own name in a panic.

And then they were back in Greenthatch, breathing heavily and beaded with sweat. Adam stared unblinkingly into her blue eyes…

The exact same color as his own.

His gaze darted up to her hair, his same golden shade. The name of the baby girl still reverberated from the darkest, most hidden corner of his memory, and a horrible certainty began to collect in his mind and his gut. He looked back at the Force Captain’s face, and he could swear he saw his mother’s chin. “You…”

True terror showed in her face for the first time, and her shoulder pivoted. Adam barely had time to register the sight of a sword pommel before it smashed into his skull.

* * *

“…ke up! Adam!”

The hushed, urgent voice slowly dragged Adam back to consciousness. His limbs twitched in response, and he tried to drag his arm up to touch his throbbing temple.

His hands were manacled.

The rest of Adam’s brain snapped awake, and his eyes opened to see Bow’s worried expression. As Adam groaned, the archer breathed a sigh of relief. He was covered in bruises and sported a split lip, but didn’t seem to be otherwise injured. “You’ve been out for about thirty minutes. Are you okay?” he asked.

“Getting there,” Adam grunted, dragging himself into a more-or-less upright position. His bonds were attached to the wall behind him by a short length of chain. Bow was in the same predicament. They were in a smallish room holding a few crates. The far wall housed a computer console and chair. The floor was vibrating, and a quiet, omnipresent rumble filled the air with white noise. “Where are we?”

“Inside the Horde transport,” Bow responded grimly. “I assume we are on our way to the Fright Zone.”

“You assume correctly, archer.”

Both men looked up to see the blonde Force Captain enter the room and settle gracefully into the chair. “You’re in luck; rebels receive the very best accommodations at Horror Hall. You will be treated to an invigorating regimen of exercise and activity followed by periods of deep reflection. We do hope you enjoy your stay.”

Bow growled something undecipherable, but Adam stared at the Force Captain intently. She met his gaze, and her expression was studiously careless, but he could see the agitation still lurking in her eyes.

Well. Adam never did have much use for beating about the bush. “Where do you come from?”

She didn’t tense at his question, though it seemed to require a conscious effort. “I’ll be the one asking the questions, rebel. I think I’ll start with ‘how large is this so-called Great Rebellion of yours?’”

Bow and Adam remained silent. The Captain seemed neither surprised nor perturbed by their reticence. “Tell me about the barbarian warrior. This… He-Man.”

Her expression shifted into amusement as they remained stubbornly uncommunicative. “Oh, come now. You might as well answer my questions. I’m asking them so politely, after all. You’ll find my method of questioning much more pleasant than some of my compatriots’ in the Fright Zone. And,” she continued, leaning towards them with an earnest expression, “if you cooperate and answer my questions, I can make things easier for you when we get to Horror Hall.”

“We saw what happens when someone answers your questions!” Bow snarled, hatred flashing in his eyes. “You killed Ress without a thought!”

“Your friend wanted to die,” she responded, her voice suddenly cool. “I obliged him, and with as little pain as I could manage.”

“Oh, I see! My mistake!” the archer sneered. “How _kind_ of you!”

“It wasn’t kindness,” she corrected evenly. “It was… a mercy.”

Bow’s harsh bark of laughter did not contain even the smallest trace of humor. “The Butcher of Erst has no concept of mercy!”

There it was again- another flicker in that impassive face. But once more, it was gone before Adam could properly identify the emotion. She opened her mouth to speak, but shut it as Catra entered the room. “We should reach the Fright Zone by midday tomorrow.” Her cruel eyes leered over the two men. “So little time to get to know our guests.”

“You’ll leave them alone unless I tell you otherwise,” the Force Captain said, spinning the chair around to busy herself at the computer console. “I’m still in command of this mission and therefore of the prisoners. You’ll have to find some other food to play with.”

Catra hissed at her, but the Force Captain ignored her as she continued to type away at the terminal. Obviously testing her boundaries, Catra sauntered over towards them. “Such handsome boys,” she purred. One claw traced over Bow’s cheek until he jerked away. He swept his leg around and knocked Catra’s legs from under her.

She had reflexes that did justice to her namesake. Twisting in midair, she managed to land in a crouch. She snarled and brandished her claws. “Ingrate! Who do you think you are?”

“Artemus Bow.”

All three of them turned to face the Force Captain. Bow’s face was slack with shock. The wall monitors came to life, displaying images of royal processions and ceremonial events. The Captain tapped a young face towards the edge of one of the pictures. “A minor courtier in the palace of Brightmoon.” She turned to face them, quiet amusement in her eyes. “This was taken a number of years ago, though I imagine you still have quite the baby face without that facial hair.”

Bow flushed a deep scarlet, but the Captain returned her attention to her findings. “In Thaymore, you identified yourself as a knight, but there’s no record of you anywhere in the lists of Brightmoon honor guards. All records and images seem to indicate that you were little more than a bard.”

“I am a knight!” Bow insisted, deep pain in his voice.

“You wear the armor of one,” she countered, gesturing to his chestplate. She pushed another button, pulling up an image of a handsome, noble-looking man. “Or rather, you wear the armor of one specific knight. The Captain of the Royal Guard, to be precise.” Her cold eyes found Bow again. “Did you steal his armor in all the chaos?”

Bow spat vicious-sounding profanity as he launched himself at her. The chains jerked him back to the wall, but he strained against them, infuriated. “How dare you!” he seethed. “Captain Daystar was my friend! My mentor! He was already mortally wounded when he gave me this armor! He knighted me and placed Princess Glimmer into my care!”

The Captain stared at him for a long moment. “My apologies,” she said quietly. “It was unworthy of me to accuse you of such an act.”

Bow recoiled, his shock even greater than Adam’s. Catra, however, laughed derisively. “For all the good that armor did him. Or you. The palace of Brightmoon fell despite the finest soldiers they had to offer! It was a farce; the greenest Horde shock troop could have defeated those pathetic fools.”

His face purple with rage, Bow turned on the other woman, but the Captain shocked them yet again by throwing her companion a warning look. “Don’t insult a man’s mentors, Catra. I know if anyone insulted General Sunder, they’d find my knife in their throat before the air fully escaped from their lungs.”

Catra whirled on her. “You’re _sympathizing_ with this trash?”

“Knowledge is power,” the Captain said, her tone dangerously even. “I understand this rebel. That doesn’t mean that I will set him free.”

“This is _exactly_ what I warned Hordak about. You are so soft you’re _rotting_.” Catra’s lip curled in a disgusted sneer as she stalked out of the room. “Hordak will hear about this.”

The Force Captain watched her go, her face expressionless. But as soon as the sound of footsteps faded, she shook her head with a scoff. “Incompetent fool,” she muttered under her breath. “No wonder Brightmoon still runs wild.”

“You think you could do any better?” Bow retorted.

She favored them with a look of amusement. “I’d find it hard to imagine anyone doing much worse. Catra’s had jurisdiction over Brightmoon for almost four years now. It remains a hotbed of insurrection and its princess is still unaccounted for. She is the key to it all, which Catra would realize if she had any sense.”

“What do you mean?” asked Adam.

“The royal family of Brightmoon was one of the most beloved on Etheria, and Princess Glimmer most beloved of all. Controlling her is vital to ensuring the cooperation of the rest of the kingdom.”

“You’ll never get her,” Bow boasted, triumphant. “She is safe, hidden in the Woods where you and the Horde will never be able to-”

“The capture of Princess Glimmer would be simplicity itself.”

She took a moment to enjoy the look of outraged stupefaction on the archer’s face. “The family was very close, and she is still very young. With King Micah off-world, the Princess is desperate to rescue her mother from our clutches. I would start a rumor about Queen Angella being moved to another prison. The supposed route would pass through the Great Western canyon. The rebels would of course stage an ambush, and the Princess would insist on being there. However, the Great Western canyon has a second level of higher ground, where my troops would ambush them. The prisoner transport vehicle would then be put to good use.” She smiled sunnily. “You see? Simplicity.”

Bow’s eyes glittered with pure, clear hatred that could and would have resorted to murder without a thought. “If it’s so easy,” he ground out, “then why haven’t you done it yet?”

She made a show of examining her nails. “I have no incentive to do Catra’s job for her. I much prefer to watch her fail over and over again until Mighty Hordak grows sick of her uselessness and hands the task to me. I will then capture Princess Glimmer and bring Brightmoon to heel within… oh, I’d say three weeks.” She favored them with a predatory smile.

Hoping to deflect attention away from the enraged archer, Adam cleared his throat. “Why are you telling us this?”

She raised an eyebrow. “You are welcome to tell Catra if you wish, though I find it strange that you would cause the Princess to be captured sooner just to spite me. And as for warning anyone else, you aren’t going anywhere. Ever again. You will be prisoners of the Horde until you die.” She tossed a wink at them.

Adam’s stomach tightened at the reminder. Bow’s face paled, but he tried to maintain his bravado. “You have everything all planned out, don’t you?”

“Never plan one step ahead when you can plan three,” she remarked, turning once more to attend to the computer console.

Outmaneuvered yet again, Bow sagged against the wall and buried his face in his arms. Adam settled into a more comfortable position, but continued looking at the Force Captain. Minutes or hours passed as he watched in silence. The light from the wall monitors shone through the edge of her hair, casting a halo of light around her head.

 _Adora._ The name echoed through his thoughts, refusing to return to the depths of his memory now that it had been unearthed. He rolled the sound of it around his head, the sense of familiarity deepening. He stared at the back of the Force Captain’s head. _Adora,_ he thought, his eyes running over her golden hair and idly tapping fingers. _Adora_. The name fit her like an old glove.

The tapping faltered, and she shifted. Glancing over her shoulder, she seemed more annoyed than surprised to find him staring. “What?”

He gazed into her eyes, familiar blue. _Adora. She’s Adora,_ he thought with amazement. He still wasn’t entirely sure why he was amazed, but his certainty was growing by the second.

She flinched, then gave him a look of imperious contempt, and turned back to the terminal.

He continued to stare as she worked, her tapping fingers a bit more pointed and deliberate than before. Another stretch of time passed, long enough for Adam’s thoughts to wander away before sudden realization slapped him in the face. His mouth went dry; it was impossible. “What song is that?” he croaked.

She frowned as she looked over at him. “What song?”

“The tune you were just humming,” Bow grumbled, pulled into the conversation in spite of himself. “It hardly sounds like something you’d hear in the Horde.”

Annoyance briefly flickered across her face before it assumed its usual calm. “It’s nothing. It was a melody that the Nursemaid used to sing to me when I was a child.”

That was _impossible_. “Where did she learn it?”

“Who?”

“The nursemaid.”

She frowned at Adam. “The Nursemaid isn’t a person; it’s a machine. Most join the Horde as older youths or adults. I was one of a very few raised there from birth. Obviously, the Mighty Horde has no time for whelping infants, so they built the Nursemaid. It scans the memories and brainwaves of its charges and generates comforting sounds and colors to soothe children who have not yet learned self-control.” She shrugged, ignoring Bow’s horrified expression. “That song was the sound that my Nursemaid generated. I sometimes find myself humming it when I’m bored.”

 _Or agitated,_ Adam guessed, but did not say. The suspicions inside of him became firm as the bedrock under Grayskull. “Do you know the words?” he asked, boring into her eyes with his own.

Her discomfited shift was tiny, but there. “How do you know there are words?”

Adam didn’t blink. Adora’s agitation increased to the point that Bow would notice it soon. “There are lyrics, but they’re just nonsense sounds. I’ve run them through the entire Horde linguistics database and they don’t correspond to any language in the known dimensions.”

Adam wasn’t surprised. He knew that the words came from an unknown dimension… unknown, that was, except for the existence of a single castaway.

Lieutenant Marlena Glenn.

<Twinkle, twinkle, little star,> Adam sang in the strange language, his voice barely above a whisper as his tongue twisted around the foreign but familiar syllables, <how I wonder what you are. Up above the world you fly, like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are.>

Adora wasn’t breathing. She was trembling faintly, despite the rigidity of her body. Adam smiled. “It’s an old lullaby. My mother used to sing it to me.”

Bow was looking between him and Adora with a suspicion that was rapidly edging into horrified disbelief. “But that’s not the language you speak,” he managed to observe.

“No,” Adam allowed. “It’s my mother’s native language, so it sounds strange. It’s not from my home world or from here.”

Adora turned on her heel and stalked from the room. Bow watched her go, and saw the concern in Adam’s eyes as they followed her retreating figure. The consternation in his own grew. “Is there something you ought to tell me?” he grated.

Adam glanced at him, but didn’t say a word.


End file.
